Chapter Three

No-one knew that it would take a single spark to detonate the time bomb….

Christmas Time was the only time of year where anyone managed to see a flicker of pure animation light up Red's crimson eyes. Ever since his mother had told him the enchanting fairy-tale of a man called Santa Claus, and how he miraculously managed to swiftly deliver presents all over the region to good boys and girls, it captivated him.

However, there were some things he was told that confused him; for example: Santa was supposed to enter a person's home through their chimney, but Red ingeniously pointed out that their chimney wasn't able to do that. Therefore, he was told an altered version; where the large bulbous man had a very extraordinary key, enabling him to open anyone's front door whilst they were sleeping.

Once again, it was easy to make the innocent boy believe the hysteria, and the significance behind the holiday. He never once conjectured that Santa was nothing more than a mere fabrication, created to make the holiday magical. This beautiful fascination continued for years; that was until a certain green-eyed boy had to ruin it.

Little did he know that this was the straw that broke the Stantler's back.

"You seriously believe in all that?" Green mused, before a snicker erupted from his throat. A small frown crept onto Red's countenance, as he sat on his best friend's bed, given an oration about his naivety, and innocence.

"…my Mom wouldn't lie to me…" Came the soft and almost submissive reply, as his raven hair shielded his face from view.

"Red…come on, I know you're simple minded, but honestly; you don't believe in that crap, do you?" The tone in the Green's voice significantly distressed the youngster, causing his hands to clench defensively into fists at his side; terrified that the beautiful world he believed in, was nothing but propaganda.

"D-don't…say that…"

His voice was precarious, almost to the point of breaking. Christmas Eve was two days away, and this year he had the opportunity to spend Christmas Day with Green, instead of having a monotonous wait till Boxing Day. This was predominantly due to Professor Oak receiving an urgent phone call from an acquaintance in Johto, about Pokemon evolution; and not wanting to miss the hype, decided to travel there for a few days.

Of course, Green didn't particularly mind this little upset to the routine. If it allowed him to spend as much time with the raven-haired boy, then that was nothing more than a wish come true. His Grandfather would be leaving on Christmas Eve, and would return approximately 4pm on Boxing Day, so it gave them a few days together.

However, with this little revelation about Santa Claus up in the air, Red certainly wasn't overly keen on the idea any more. Right now, his brain couldn't focus on anything, and his heart was agonizingly thrashing in his chest. Confusion was tearing him apart, and Green was too oblivious to see the apparent hurt in his best friend's eyes.

"Red…I'm not saying this to hurt you, but, it's wrong that people lie to you. They know you can't handle big reveals, or even smaller things that don't matter, yet they continue to hurt you. I won't lie to you, Red. I never have."

His breaths were shallow, almost excruciating, as he squeezed his eyes shut; struggling to block out the relentless uproar that was Green's voice. He didn't want Green to ruin what had been a beautiful thing to believe in; the idea that there was someone out there who was compassionate, liberal, and spread love throughout the world. Now, it was slowly being destroyed.

The raven-haired boy had become taciturn, refusing to say a single word, and just continued to block it all out. Green was saying that his mother was a liar, and that she was doing this to purposely hurt him. Why would anyone feel the apparent need to abuse someone's mind to this level, without it having any consequences?

"Red…talk to me, please? I didn't mean to upset you…"

Once again the older of the two was met with a solid wall of obstinate silence, and the longer they remained in this way, the more it was oppressing them.

"Do you want me to go?" He tried again, gazing expectantly at the diminutive form of his best friend, who merely shrugged nonchalantly in response.

Right now, he was far too distressed to care about something so inconsequential. How could he stop his mind from being torn apart from the seams, now it was too damaged and delicate to be fixed?

Green became apprehensive, the longer Red chose to ignore him. No matter how many arguments or divergences they had in the past, Red had never willingly chosen to shut himself off, mainly because he didn't have the capacity to hold such resentment against anyone. Now, things looked bad.

"Red…" Gently he rested his hand on Red's shoulder, feeling the younger boy tense up almost immediately. "…don't be like this, please."

Suddenly breathing became a much more arduous task than it seemed previously, and before he was consciously aware of it, the raven-haired boy was gasping urgently, using his gaunt fingers to clutch his t-shirt, over where his heart lay neatly concealed within.

This sudden change in demeanour alarmed the brunette, who instantly gripped his friend's arms tightly, subconsciously begging him to open his eyes, and just look at him; that was if talking was something he was unable to comprehend.

"Red…?! Red…deep breaths…okay? Breathe with me."

The younger of the two was by this point trembling like a leaf in a headstrong wind, no matter what Green did to help the situation. Weakly he tried to do as instructed, inhaling a short gasp of air, and exhaling. The brunette timed his breaths with his best friend, doing his best to reassure him somehow. However, even though Red was breathing in time with him, the colour was vastly vanishing from his rosy cheeks, leaving his skin lifeless and transparent.

"Red…! Red, look at me!" The brunette tried desperately, gently moving his hands to tap against Red's face, watching as his crimson eyes weakly squinted open, almost painfully.

There was no concentration behind his stare, no life beyond those once beautiful sparkling pools of crimson. It was as if the light was quite obviously on, but there was no one at home.

Panic rushed through Green, feeling utterly helpless. One minute Red was fine and the next it was as if his mind had imploded on itself, and was now unable to process anything. Was it simply because of the whole conversation about Santa? Had that been the final push to completely break him…?

"R-Red…you're scaring me…"

He did nothing more than gently cup Red's fragile face, loathing the fact that the colour continued to fade away, leaving a deathless afterglow in its wake. His eyes became shrouded by malignant black circles, which almost seemed to drain any life from his body.

A pained sob crept its way up the brunette's throat, until he was struggling to hold back the tears. Seeing Red so inanimate and lifeless was slowly killing him, torturing his insides to a degree where they would be nothing more than brittle glass; easily crushable, easily destroyable.

"P-please….Red…talk to me…!" He cried, wrapping his arms tightly around his best friend, desperately seeking some kind of response, whether it be positive or negative.

He hated this; Red was never supposed to be like this, a puppet whose strings had been severed. Okay, the real world scared him to death, but Red was a fighter. He would never willingly give up the fight.

The brunette decided against saying anything further, and just simply held his best friend in his arms, subconsciously seeking out the delicate tremors of his heartbeat in the emptiness around them.

XXX

"I'm sorry…it's bad news"

"Your son….he suffers from a form of autism; it's called Asperger's Syndrome"

Emerald eyes remained transfixed on an old withered clock that hung lazily on the wall, apparently depicting the time of 6pm. His foot nervously tapped against the whitewashed tiles, hands gripped together, absent-mindedly chewing the inside of his mouths to ribbons. Red had been in room 1-B for well over half an hour, and he was more than anxious.

It had been forty minutes prior that they had all discovered the reasons to Red's apparent behavioural disorder. He had Autism; Asperger's Syndrome, and there was no cure for it. It was just something he would have to control, and deal with, as he got older. Right now the Doctor was talking them through about the variety of methods to help deal with the anxiety, and especially panic attacks.

That had been the sole reason for the visit; Red had suffered a terrible panic attack, which eventually caused his body to shut down. Thankfully, it wasn't anything too serious, and could easily be dealt with for future reference. However, that didn't ease the brunette's mind.

He should've known Red was really sick, and that it wasn't just a phase, or just part of his persona. Mental health wasn't something to make jokes about, but it seemed the more Green dwelled on the pressing issue, the more he realised that subconsciously he had been make fun of Red his entire life.

The incessant foot tapping or mouth biting did little to calm his nerves, so now he resulted in biting his nails, not caring if he hurt himself in the process.

In a few days' time, it would be Christmas Day; a day he could spend with Red. Where he didn't have to worry about being bored, or becoming a recluse whilst his Grandfather potted about with his research; this time he could actually spend it with his best friend.

This should be a happy time to consider, but due to the fact, Green consistently blamed himself for Red's illness, right now he was dreading it.

The creaking sound of the door opening reverberated throughout the silent waiting room. Immediately, Green shot out of his seat, as if someone had just set it alight. Emerald eyes burned into the shy and retiring figure of his best friend, who was sheltering underneath his mother's protective arm.

"You really worried me Red!" She scolded lightly, hugging her son in relief.

At least the colour had finally returned to his cheeks, and his eyes were finally devoid of that sickening malignant afterglow. He flashed a nervous smile at the brunette, who couldn't contain his enthusiasm any longer.

He lunged at the raven-haired boy, a feeling of sheer relief washing over him. Before either of them were aware of it, they were crushed into each other's arms, refusing to let go. Red's scrawny fingers gripped onto Green's t-shirt tightly, almost frightened to loosen their grip in case Green faded away, and never returned.

"Are you…better now?" Came the innocent and naïve reply.

The raven-haired boy shrugged weakly; still unsure about the whole scenario. The only thing he was aware of right now was that his head didn't hurt so bad, and he had this insatiable craving for French fries.

"I want a burger…" He mumbled, eyes slowly closing as he enjoyed the warmth Green provided.

"After all the trouble you caused? Do you think you deserve a burger, mister?" His mother scolded, which caused the younger boy to cling desperately to his friend.

Not that Green minded, in fact secretly he enjoyed having this attention. He felt needed, and he knew that deep inside Red's confused, and mixed up world there was a beautiful place for him, and there always would be.

XXX

"Mom…am I cursed? Is it a disease?"

"Can other people become sick like me?"

"Is my brain dying…?"

So many unanswered questions swirled around the youngster's mind as he munched carelessly on his fries. He had Green to thank for this, if it wasn't for his intervention, claiming it was his fault that lead to the panic attack then this scenario would never have existed. Due to that, Red shared half of his cheeseburger with the brunette, and decided against having two straws in their glass of cola.

Considering Christmas was only a few days away Red's mother relented, and claimed that this was nothing more than an early Christmas present, and she was still furious with him. Not that the raven-haired boy minded, he was just grateful to satiate his craving for the best French fries in town.

Green felt marginally better, noticing that Red didn't seem so lifeless anymore, and his cheeks were once again a soft rosy pink. A shudder raced down his spine. That image of Red; deathly pale, inanimate, and motionless would forever burn into his retinas for all eternity. The younger of the two noticed Green's apparent distress, and without thinking rested his hand on top of Green's.

"…you okay?"

The question was short, and sweet, yet Green found it surprisingly difficult to answer. Perhaps it was because he wasn't okay, and yet if he confessed that vital part of information it would only concern the crimson-eyed boy, which he didn't want. Alternatively, he promised he would never lie to Red, and this was why the war inside his mind forever raged on.

"It's…nothing to worry over, okay?"

Red nodded, and gently squeezed his best friend's hand, earning a small smile in response.

~Sometimes the words that remained unsaid were the words that spoke the loudest~

XXX

"What's that?" The raven-haired boy pointed at an oddly shaped green branch, which was decorated with snow covered holly berries; and was situated just above the doorway.

Green shrugged, as his curious emerald eyes gazed up at the Christmas decoration. They decided not to question his mother's taste in decorations, and just left her to it. She had a fascination for snow globes, and Stantler Christmas Lights; which changed colour depending on the setting.

However, the main guest of honour was the holly branch, that had captivated both of the boys, who seemed unsure to why it was placed above the door, and not on the Christmas Tree. The brunette's brow furrowed in thought, until suddenly he vaguely remembered what it symbolised.

"Oh yeah! I remember! Apparently if you stand under it with some-one you like you give them a kiss."

"…why?" Came the simple reply, to which Green shrugged, indifferent.

"I dunno. Some stupid adult thing I guess." Regardless of the meaning behind it, Red couldn't seem to break eye contact with the branch, and its snow covered berries. It was strangely beautiful, and captivating.

"So…if you stand under it, you have to kiss someone you like?"

"That's what they say, yeah."

The shorter boy turned to face his best friend, whose expression remained neutral. Red was unsure if the object was cursed, and if they did not obey its rules then something bad might occur. Either way, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Green…?"

"What?" Nervously crimson eyes trailed down to the carpet, as his foot gently scuffed against the other. His hands clasped together, and met at the base of his spine, as ever so slowly their gaze met once more.

"I like you…so do we have to kiss under this?" The question came as a shock, and before the brunette could even attempt to stop his body from betraying him, a fierce blush ignited his cheeks, and he was forced to look away.

"….w-why is everything so…naïve to you…?" Crimson eyes blinked, unsure of what he meant, but he remained standing in the same position, wondering if his words had irritated the brunette somewhat.

"Is it…bad?"

Feeling flustered all of a sudden Green had no idea where to put himself. Kissing in general was gross, in his eyes, girls had cooties, but Red didn't. Red was his best friend, and he would change the fabric of time and space to ensure that their friendship remained intact, and never drifted apart.

"N-no…just…don't you think it's weird?" The raven-haired boy shrugged, and merely smiled.

"How is it weird? I like you, and you kiss people you like under it. It seems simple."

At that moment in time, Green desperately wanted to smack his hand on his face, and drag it precariously over all of his features. Just for once, he would love to experience what magical things occurred in Red's brain. Obviously, it was a much better reality than the one he was accustomed. Either way, what harm could an innocent kiss do?

"Okay…fine."

Swiftly he grabbed the crimson-eyed boy's arm, and pulled him underneath the mistletoe, feeling that horrendous blush return with a vengeance. He was forever grateful that Red was dense, and wouldn't see any issue with this, because the last thing he desired was for their relationship to become awkward.

They stayed motionless for a while, neither of them saying, or doing anything, and this only increased Green's nervousness. He could feel the palms of his hands start to clam up with sweat, and his heart was beating ever so slightly faster than its normal mundane rhythm.

"Could you…um…cl-close your eyes…?" The brunette stammered, and watched as Red did as he was instructed, shutting his eyes off from the world, and willingly waited for whatever was supposed to happen.

Green never expected to feel this nervous over anything; especially something so trivial. Yet, as he stared at Red's innocent face, and ever-so-slightly puckered lips, his heart started thrashing angrily inside his chest.

Apprehensively he moved closer, unsure about how to do this. He had never kissed anyone, or even considered it up until this moment. Was it okay to kiss your best friend? Tentatively he inched closer, squeezing his eyes shut, and praying that Red wouldn't suddenly freak out, and hate him forever.

This is okay….this is okay…~

Before he was aware of it his lips had found their way to Red's, who inhaled shakily at the contact. They were soft, so different to anything he had experienced before, and he was unsure how long a kiss was supposed to last for before things got awkward.

Slowly Green pulled away, noticing that his heart had in fact increased in pace, and had not slowed down at all. Weakly, his eyes fluttered open, realising Red was staring right at him. The raven-haired boy smiled shyly, gently biting on his bottom lip.

"That was…nice" He muttered, before Green scratched the back of his head in a boyish manner.

"Well…I…um…thanks…" Nothing more was said on the matter, yet Red's mind continued to swirl with so many thoughts.

'It's okay to kiss your best friend….it's okay to cuddle and hold hands with your best friend….this is…normal behaviour..~'

XXX